A/N: This was written for the speed dating challenge on the forums. please take a look at the companion piece to this written by pixileann. While writing this I became inspired by the song I Always Knew by The Vaccines. A big thanks to bellatrixx on tda for the beautiful chapter image.

The first time Rose Weasley saw Scorpius Malfoy, she was getting ready to board the train for her first year at Hogwarts School of Witch-Craft and Wizardry. The boy looked a lot like his father what with his light blonde hair and pointed nose, yet also took features from his mother, mainly the fact that he was rather on the short side of things.

Rose looked away from the family to her own, her younger brother Hugo glancing around wide-eyed at all the excitement. He had been talking about Hogwarts non-stop since she had gotten her letter, wishing it were him getting ready to board the train instead of her. He had insisted on dragging her and their parents into every single shop in Diagon Alley when she needed to collect her supplies, even though he had been there several times before. She supposed he was living and breathing through her at the moment, not yet having a wand of his own, yet still somehow wreaking havoc everywhere he went.

Rose stopped staring at her brother, who was bouncing was bouncing from one foot to another, and turned to see her Aunt and Uncle Potter approach them. Her cousin Albus held onto his mother’s hand in what looked to Rose like a very hard death grip. She was surprised her Aunt Ginny hadn’t said anything. The adults chatted away and she was very much ready to just sneak onto the train by herself when she caught her Uncle Harrys eye.

He was staring across the platform toward the short blonde-haired boy’s family, particularly his father. When the man looked up and noticed the gaze on him, he nodded toward her uncle, the nod being so small she probably would have missed it if she had blinked, and then went back to talking to his family. When she looked back toward her uncle she could see a smile forming across his face. Rose didn’t think much of the exchange when she was finally able to board the train.

She was sorted into Ravenclaw, her father would probably cry, while the blonde-haired kid which she found out was named Scorpius Malfoy, had been sorted into Slytherin. Her father constantly told her to stay away from any Slytherins while her mother said not judge, but she could make her mind up for herself thank you very much.

She had one class with him during her first year at Hogwarts. On the very first day she walked up to him and introduced herself. Scorpius looked at her, unblinking, replied with a small “Hi” and then walked away. That was that.

The next time Rose saw Scorpius, still much shorter than her, Malfoy they were aboard the train for their second year at Hogwarts. She took a seat across from him and once again introduced herself.

“I know who you are”. Scorpius said looking at her with a bored expression. Rose was about open her mouth to reply when he cut her off. “And yes I know that you’re in Ravenclaw and that we had a class together last year.”

Rose blinked at the boy across from her. “You’re not very friendly are you?”

Scorpius sighed and averted his attention to looking out the window instead of at her. He set there in silence for some time; Rose believing that he was not going to carry on the conversation any longer. Until he did.

“I’m plenty friendly, but you judge me based solely on the fact that we have only really met twice now and one of those meetings included me telling you facts about yourself that you were going to tell me anyway. The way I see it why bother telling me something I already know.” It wasn’t a question at all but instead a statement that Rose wasn’t sure how to reply to.

They had exactly three classes together that year. Strangely in at least one class a week for the last part of the year, a foul stench would make its way through the rooms and the students would have to evacuate while the teachers cleaned up and searched for the culprit. After the third happening Rose had a strange inkling that she knew who exactly the culprit was. Scorpius’s face turned toward hers, a stoctic look upon his face, before he once again turned and walked away from her.

Third year came and so with it a taller and less quiet Scorpius. Rose thought that maybe he had just been really shy his first two years , but now a new Scorpius had risen, as if over-night. Did people really change that much over such a short period of time? The Scorpius that mainly tended to keep to himself and look at her as if he’d rather be anywhere else was no longer there. His eyes held a spark to them, a mischievous one, yet a spark all the same.

She noticed he started to hang with a group of Slytherin boys that were all at least a year or so older than him. The pranks they played on the other students and teachers were harmless at most. The ones that were not involved somehow thought they were hilarious. Rose thought they were immature and shook her head whenever she saw Scorpius sneaking off to cause some new sort of chaos.

Fourth year the pranks continued and Rose found herself in the middle of one of them where things happened that she just did not want to discuss. From that day she vowed she would get revenge on Scorpius Malfoy. Rose wasn’t one for pulling childish pranks on others, but in this case she believed Scorpius deserved it, especially when it had to do with matters of the heart.

She tried being the flirt that she noticed other girls gravitating toward when trying to get a boy they liked to notice them. Scorpius Malfoy was a beginning to be a pain in her arse. How was she supposed to make him fall for her to be able to get revenge if all he did was laugh in her face every time she flipped her hair?

Her fifth year started and with it a shiny new prefects badge. Rose was not surprised by this in the least of course. Her parents had both been prefects after all. She believed her father had finally gotten over her not being a Gryffindor. She had told him she would change houses if she could, though in reality, no she wouldn’t. Scorpius still pulled pranks and she still pretended she didn’t notice. Well, at first anyway. It was her duty as a prefect to reprimand those who did foolish things.

“I can’t believe you just took fifty points from Slytherin!”

“Well I can’t believe you just levitated some first-years over the lake in front of the giant squid.”

“Touché.”

Needless to say, Slytherin did not win the House Cup that year.

This didn’t turn her away from her mission of course. It only made things more interesting in her eyes. Bickering on a daily basis with Scorpius Malfoy had not become of her favorite past times, absolutely not.

Sixth year started off like every other year where her first encounter with Scorpius ended up in an argument. Later in the year the Hufflepuffs decided to throw a sixth and seventh year party and welcomed the other houses to join. Rose went only as a chaperone of course. Well she was chaperoning-that was not butterbeer-until she saw Scorpius flirting with an-average looking at most-blonde girl. She sent the fourth years that had snuck in back to their own common rooms and then quickly made her way over and tugged at his sleeve.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Uh huh.” He didn’t look up from the girl that had obviously put a spell on her boobs to make them look much larger than they actually were, obviously for attention.

“Now, Scorpius.” Rose pulled him away-she could feel the murderous gaze at her back-and into a darkened corner. She didn’t hesitate when she pushed him against the wall nor when she crashed her lips to his. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting but the hammering sound she was sure Scorpius could hear of her heart, was not it.

Seventh year came. Scorpius Malfoy had fallen for Rose Weasley. What she didn’t anticipate was herself falling for him. It was supposed to be a game of ‘never fall in love’ and ‘don’t let him get to you’. Rose had breathed those words in like smoke on a daily basis. Yet here she was falling madly, deeply; though she refused to call it love. They snuck into classrooms between class periods to snog, they held hands on almost every occasion, and Scorpius was becoming good and moral. Until he wasn’t.

He started pranking the younger students again and once again she started taking points from Slytherin. They began to argue again. Rose fought back and at the same time fought not to lose him. It was a fickle match and she eventually stopped keep score when she found Scorpius with the blonde girl from the years past party.

For the first time Rose Weasley had truly lost her wits end. She began to unravel at the seams. The touch of hand to cheek wasn’t hard enough to leave a mark, but it was just enough to get his attention.

“What the bloody hell, Rose?” He was angry, his face turned red. She didn’t care.

“You know what for.” She explained-which wasn’t really explaining at all-coolly, never letting her gaze from fall his. Scorpius did not look away and did not say a word.

“I’m going to tell the head-master everything that you’ve done.”

Scorpius still did not say anything. Rose becoming frustrated turned on her heel and stomped down the hall.

“Run away, Rose Weasley, because you never loved me anyway.”

She paused, just for a second then righted herself once more and continued on her way.